Have you ever calculated what you spend on your car?

[rug357]

My wife, being an accountant, keeps very detailed records of our spending. Last week we checked to see how much in total we had spent on my truck. This truck was my daily driver from May 2002 till January 2018. For last years and half I only drive it to go hunting or to go to the farm on weekends.

My truck is a 2002 FORD Expedition 5.4 V8 with 260,000 miles on it.

Here is what we found...

Total cost of car - $33,000
Registration (16 yrs)- $1,100
Cost of ins. (16 yrs) - $11,900
Repairs/maintenance (including parts) - $5,900
Consumables (battery, tires, oil, etc.) - $4,200
Fuel (14.5mpg @ $2.48) - $43,600
Other - $1,000

Comes to total of $100,700 or $6,300 per year or $0.395 per mile

[rug357]

Here is the calculation for my current daily driver which is a 2007 Toyota Sienna mini-van with 245,000 miles on it.
This was my wife's daily driver from 2007 to 2018 when we purchased a new car for her and this become my daily driver.

Total cost of car - $34,500
Registration (12 yrs) - $800
Cost of ins. (12 yrs) - $8,700
Repairs/maintenance (including parts) - $4,600
Consumables (battery, tires, oil, etc.) - $3,900
Fuel (21.5mpg @ $2.48) - $28,300
Other - $700

Comes to total of $81,500 or $6,800 per year or $0.333 per mile

[Legio]

This is very interesting.

[Skoll]

Since I got my truck last year, I've dropped $5000 into it on new parts and repairs. I am very acutely aware of what I spend on it.

[Flame Red]

Good for you!

Just think about what these folks that drop $70-80k large on a Ford Raptor or similar! It is like $10/mile just in depreciation driving it off the lot for the first year.

[Cubanstang50]

Wow thats alot of money, specially on a ford buy honda lol.

[Wakko]

The amount of commuting I do with my pickup is stupid, even though I don't use it for work. The drive back and forth to my kid's mom's house is what beats me up, especially with 12-14 mpg. Factor in wheels/tires/tonneau/steps/peformance upgrades and it adds up quick. I also have very very good insurace, so that's not as cheap as it could be either.

[Tenzing_Norgay]

...or you could write it all off as a business expense.

[jwperry]

I started doing this a few years ago when I was car shopping. I use the fuelly app to do most of the leg work in keeping track of maintenance & operating costs, then throw the other numbers in a spreadsheet.

I'm glad to see my cost per mile isn't all that different from yours. Does your "other" include tolls?

[rug357]

Does your "other" include tolls?

Yes it does and toll is the biggest portion of the "other" as it makes up about 40%.
It also includes occasional car wash, air pump I keep in each car, tow hitch for truck, etc.